Support for Women Never Goes Out of Fashion

Every small business wants to be noticed. Every link, connection, conversation and email can help to build a brand and establish a loyal following in support of start-up mums.

I have had so much support over the past few months from so many women. It feels like a great time to talk about female empowerment and unity as it was recently the hundred years celebration of women over thirty receiving the right to vote. In April this year was the statue of campaigner Millicent Fawcett unveiled at Parliament Square.

These recent events made me think about how many women have taken the opportunity to use their vote, their voice and their actions to do things for themselves and their family. Start-ups being one example. In one hundred years, women have gone from being able to vote for the political party they want to run their country to being the driving force behind injecting £7.2 billion in the UK economy! Who’ll run the world? Just ask Beyonce. But to achieve these goals, we need to support each other.

So how does the suffragette movement link in to this message of global female entrepreneurship? Their actions, bravery and sacrifice have enabled us to achieve our dreams and goals as women. And, significantly, they did not do it alone – they supported the cause together.

One image that has always stayed with me since learning about the suffragettes many years ago was a picture of a Scottish march. Not only were there women in solidarity – supporting the argument that women should have a recognised voice – but there was a little girl in the picture too.

Our children learn by what they see us do

As a mother, this image has continued to have a profound effect on me. It reminds me that our children learn by what they see us do. Of course, children have their own unique personalities and they will make their own decisions in life which are not based on what we did right or wrong.

But I do believe that what we model through our actions can have consequences. This is why I often think of that little girl in the Scottish picture. She was part of a movement that:

would free her generation from being voiceless, controlled and oppressed.

would begin discussions about women’s roles.

saw women gather in numbers and support each other to create the loudest voice possible.

That had the greatest effect: the vote.

With many stories about how women are pitted against each other, it’s refreshing to report that many women support and encourage each other in business, especially in the small business sector. In the past few months, I’ve had numerous people offer advice, links, technical tips, social media links and so much more. It has not only saved me time and money, it has also helped my network evolve.

It’s a pretty simple message: If we support each other, everyone benefits.

I’m Kirsty, a mum and founder of the Roly Poly Pillow® cot-bed sheet and pillowcase in one. After struggling to find a way to keep our daughter’s pillow safe and secure in her cot-bed, I decided to manufacture a solution that would help the whole family enjoy a good night’s sleep. Follow us on: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

A Note From Brilliant Together

Thank you to Kirsty for this uplifting and empowering guest blog. At Brilliant Together we firmly believe in supporting small businesses, only using and recommending suppliers that, like us, are also parents-in-business. If you want to read more about small businesses supporting each other, read our blog on “build a team of independent businesses”

If you have some great business advice you’d like to share and would like to do a guest blog for us, please e-mail us at: hello@brillianttogether.co.uk

What we do

Brilliant Together provides expert advice and support to start-ups and small businesses. Helping you get clarity and focus on what you do best, and then we do the rest. We work with you to understand your dreams and the hurdles you face in achieving them; helping you to plan your business properly and get stuff done.

Do you have an idea for a business, but don’t know what to do to get started?

Do you have an established business but struggling to grow it?

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